The Monaco awards UEFA Champions League starts again 06

Transcription

10.05
No 42 – October 2005
Supplement
The Monaco awards
03
UEFA Champions League starts again
06
Liverpool win the UEFA Super Cup
09
The referees prepare
13
C OV E R
Jamie Carragher holds
the trophy aloft, following
Liverpool FC’s third
UEFA Super Cup victory.
PHOTO: D. AQUILINA
G i v i n g
Liverpool win the
UEFA Super Cup for the third time
Guy Roux and training
European Club Forum meeting
The referees prepare in Nyon
News from member associations
IN THIS ISSUE
Awards in Monaco
03
UEFA Champions League
calendar
07
09
10
12
13
17
Editorial
b a c k
t o
s o c i e t y
MARK SHIPPERLEE
Not even the most precociously talented player makes it to the international stage overnight. To get that far,
he first has to learn his trade with a club and develop his skills along the way – with his club and the national teams – with
the help of coaches who are often volunteers, and playing with team-mates who might probably never get as far as
the professional ranks. The top flight cannot exist without the grassroots base, which needs to be
as extensive as possible. It is therefore quite fitting that professional football should give back part of
its substantial revenue to grassroots football, as happens in the UEFA Champions League and the
European Championships, for example, where the centralised sale of
rights allows the solidarity principle
to be applied.
Nor is there any top player
who has failed to benefit from society’s
investments in sport, whether in terms of the installation
of facilities, the provision of equipment, support for
the training of coaches, or educational programmes and
sometimes even financial support. Here too, it is
normal that professional football should show its gratitude
and assign part of its revenue to social causes, if
possible to help the most disadvantaged sections of the
population.
In addition to hosting the events which herald
the new European club competition season, the gathering
in Monaco at the end of August is the setting for two
highly symbolic ceremonies. First, by rewarding the
“magnificent seven”, representing the countless enthusiasts
whose dedication is a vital element in the game’s universal
appeal, UEFA seeks to strengthen the link between
Italy have won the Homeless World Cup for the second time.
professional football and the grassroots game. Second,
by awarding a cheque for one million Swiss francs to a charity, UEFA not only highlights football’s inspirational and beneficial role in society but also expresses its clear wish to support that role through specific financial backing.
Within the very full programme in Monaco, these two ceremonies are maybe not the prime focus of attention,
but their particular significance certainly deserves a mention in its own right.
Lars-Christer Olsson
Chief Executive
we care about football
02 uefadirect 10.05
PHOTOS: UEFA-BOZZANI
Season kicks off
in
Monaco
A f u l l a n d v a r i e d p ro g r a m m e
President’s award
for Frank Rijkaard
IN EACH OF THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, THE PRINCIPALITY
OF MONACO HAS BEEN THE CAPITAL OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL FOR
A FEW DAYS AT THE END OF AUGUST.
A wide range of activities
are held during these few days.
While particular attention is given to
the UEFA Super Cup match and
the draws for the group stage of the
Champions League and the UEFA
Cup first round, there is also plenty
of activity behind the scenes, including meetings of UEFA organs such
as the Club Competitions Committee, various discussions and preparations for the new season with the
participating clubs, sponsors and
television channels, as well as press
conferences and other meetings
with media representatives.
Another highlight is the
presentation of awards to the best
players from the previous club
season, as selected by the elite
coaches.
This year, the prize-giving
ceremony was not held during the
gala evening at the Sporting Club
in Monaco, but as a preliminary to
Thursday afternoon’s UEFA Champions League draw at the Grimaldi
Forum.
Three players from each
category (goalkeepers, defenders,
midfielders and strikers) were
the subject of a video presentation
including comments from leading
football personalities, before
the names of the winners were
announced from the podium.
Also during the gala evening
in Monaco, the UEFA President’s Award
was presented to the current Barcelona
coach, Frank Rijkaard. The prize was
awarded in recognition of the human
qualities and professionalism of a
man whose humility has not been diminished by his numerous successes and
honours and who is a true ambassador
for football through his respect for fair
play and his gentlemanly behaviour.
The guests were also shown
images of some of the greatest goals
of the 2004/05 Champions League
campaign. Prizes were awarded for
Ronaldinho’s strike against AC Milan
and, for set-piece goals, John Terry’s
winning header from a free-kick for
FC Chelsea against FC Porto.
03
Steven Gerrard,
a most
valuable player
for his team.
Lars-Christer Olsson
and Ronaldinho
hand over the cheque
to the representatives
of ProPoor Sports.
A cheque
for the homeless
Held during the evening following the Champions League
draw, the UEFA gala evening in Monaco is traditionally an occasion for
demonstrating European football’s solidarity with the disadvantaged
by presenting a cheque for one million Swiss francs to a footballrelated charitable project.
This year, the Executive
Committee chose the ProPoor
Sports (PPS) organisation, which
promotes street football as a means
of social integration.
Prince Albert II
de Monaco presents
Ronaldinho
with the Goal of the
Season award.
This year’s winners
Petr Cech (Chelsea FC) won the award for best goalkeeper but was
unable to travel to Monaco because of an English league match.
The winner was announced by the hero of the 1986 Champion Clubs’ Cup
final, Steaua Bucharest goalkeeper Helmut Ducadam.
■
■ Former Real Madrid striker Emilio Butragueño awarded the prize to the
top midfielder, AC Milan’s Brazilian star Ricardo Kaka.
John Terry (Chelsea FC), for the same reason as his team-mate
Petr Cech, was unable to be in Monaco, where former Inter Milan defender
Giacinto Facchetti announced that he had won the best defender award.
■
Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona) was presented with the award for the best
striker by the former Benfica and Portugal star Eusebio.
■
As in recent years, the coaches also selected the Most Valuable Player
for his club; Steven Gerrard, (Liverpool FC) earned this award by demonstrating, particularly in the Champions League final against AC Milan,
the crucial role he plays for his team. The prize was presented by the
UEFA President.
■
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Since 2003, PPS has, in
collaboration with the International
Network of Street Papers (INSP),
organised the Homeless Street
Soccer World Cup, the third edition
of which was held in Edinburgh
in July. Within the space of five days,
27 teams played a total of
114 matches in which 625 goals
were scored.
Around 60,000 people
attended the tournament, which
was won by holders Italy, who
retained the trophy with a 3-2 win
over Poland in the final.
An impact report prepared
after the 2004 edition highlighted
the extremely positive effects of this
event, both in terms of the participants’ self-confidence and at a professional level, with many of them
having found a stable job after the
tournament.
As a result, PPS is planning
to expand this event in the next
few years and the cheque from UEFA
will help with this process.
The 2006 edition will be
held in Cape Town, South Africa.
Celebrations
Commemorations to mark the birth
of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup got under
way in Monaco, where the
special anniversary logo
was unveiled before the
group draw.
Apart from plaques
for players who have
left their mark on the competition, a number of
activities are being organised during the season,
culminating at the UEFA
Champions League final in Paris next May.
A 95-minute DVD is being produced so
that fans can relive the most exciting goals and
moments in the 50-year history of the European
Cup. ‘Living legends’ will also be sharing their
memories of the competition as well as recounting
galore
some anecdotes. The DVD will be retailed through
newspaper promotions and other distribution
channels.
The great moments
of the competition will
also be featured in a
richly illustrated book.
In addition, there are
plans for a photo exhibition, a generic spot
for the UEFA Champions
League partner broadcasters to use, as well
as plenty of other activities to promote the competition and pay tribute to
the 21 clubs that have won it so far.
By means of these celebrations, it is hoped
that the tradition of European club football will be
passed down to the younger generation.
Seven examples of passion
As last year, a ceremony was held on the pitch shortly before the Super Cup kicked-off to pay tribute
to a “Magnificent Seven” individuals whose involvement in football, however anonymous, represents an
outstanding contribution to the popularity and success of the sport. The following were honoured this year:
Bengt Ågren (Sweden), who has dedicated most
of his long career to football and young people, helping to
organise the 1958 World Cup, last year’s centenary celebrations of the Swedish Football Association and numerous
youth tournaments.
Jacques Barlie (Switzerland) is not really an
unknown figure, since his talents as a goalkeeper were
rewarded with a place in the Swiss national team. However,
his presence among the “Magnificent Seven” is testimony
to his work after his playing career, as a goalkeeping
coach, kit manager and general dogsbody for his club,
Servette FC of Geneva.
Stig Martin Sandvik (Norway) is another
(young) example of the refusal to give in to adversity.
A spokesperson for Special Olympics International,
he fights for people with learning disabilities, in order
that sport and football might help them to improve their
quality of life and ease their integration into society.
Renato Trapanelli (Italy) represents, behind
the scenes, what Paolo Maldini embodies on the pitch:
loyalty to his club, AC Milan. An excellent talent scout,
sports activity coordinator at the club’s training centre
and ballboy manager, he has been working with unwavering enthusiasm for the Lombard club for 65 years.
Petro Beznosenko (Ukraine) has devoted more
than 50 years to football development in Ukraine and the
USSR. An instructor, coach and supervisor, he has also
exercised numerous functions within committees and
other bodies.
Jørgen Pedersen (Denmark) has spent countless
hours working for Brøndby IF, a club where he has served
as coach and board member, carrying out a whole range
of tasks for no other reward than the good of his club.
UEFA-BOZZANI
Antonio Martin Gaitan (Spain) is the youngest
of the “Magnificent Seven”, a footballer whose qualities
have earned him numerous individual and team awards
at national, European and world levels. He is particularly
special because he plays for a team of visually impaired
players. He is totally blind and it is his fight against adversity that earned him the award in Monaco.
The Magnificent Seven with the UEFA President and CEO.
Left to right: Jacques Barlie, Stig Martin Sandvik,
Renato Trapanelli, Antonio Martin Gaitan, Petro Beznosenko,
Jørgen Pedersen and Bengt Ågren.
05
Lennart
Johansson
and presenter
Jim Rosenthal.
The tension
mounts before
the draw.
UEFA Champions
League
C e l e b r a t i n g
5 0
ye a r s
LISBON, 4 SEPTEMBER 1955: SPORTING CLUBE DE PORTUGAL PLAY FK PARTIZAN OF BELGRADE IN THE FIRST-EVER MATCH
IN THE EUROPEAN CHAMPION CLUBS’ CUP, A COMPETITION CONCEIVED BY THE NEWSPAPER L’EQUIPE.
Paolo Maldini
assists
Lars-Christer
Olsson.
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the final will take place in Paris, just
as it did in the inaugural competition,
although at the Stade de France rather
than the Parc de Princes. As a
further celebration, players who
have excelled in the history of
European club competition will
be honoured throughout the
season. Paolo Maldini, who
assisted in the draw in Monaco,
was the first to receive a commemorative plaque, followed later at the UEFA
Gala by Helmut Ducadam, Eusébio,
Didier Deschamps and Raymond Kopa.
The clubs participating in
this season’s Champions League were
drawn into eight groups of four taking
Sixteen clubs participated in
that first edition of the competition.
Fifty years later, five of those founding
clubs were again preparing for
the opening matches of what
is now the UEFA Champions
League: Real Madrid, winners
of the first competition,
AC Milan, RSC Anderlecht, PSV
Eindhoven and Rapid Vienna.
Together with the 27 other teams involved in the competition, 16 national
associations are represented.
The draw for the 14th UEFA
Champions League was made in
Monaco on 25 August. To mark the
50th anniversary of the competition,
into account club seedings based on
UEFA indices. The principle of keeping clubs from the same association
apart in the group stage was also observed (except for Liverpool, admitted to the competition on an excep-
tional basis but not afforded this
protection). Other criteria taken into
account mainly concerned the order
of playing matches (bearing in mind
climatic conditions and the qualification of more than one club from
the same city or region). Clubs finishing first or second in their group
will qualify for the knockout phase
(round of 16); third-placed teams go
into the UEFA Cup (round of 32).
The best of last season
Of the 32 clubs involved in
the draw in Monaco, 21 were involved
in the group stage last season,
including the eight quarter-finalists:
the eventual winners, Liverpool;
the finalists, AC Milan; semi-finalists,
PSV Eindhoven and Chelsea; as well
as Internazionale, Juventus, Bayern
Munich and Olympique Lyonnais.
Manchester United and FC Porto are
GETTY IMAGES
Eleven
appearances
in total,
including
ten in
a row, for
Manchester
United.
the most regular competitors in the
elite European club competition as they
are both taking part in their 11th UEFA
Champions League. They are followed
by Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real
Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Rosenborg
and PSV Eindhoven who are all competing for the tenth time. Manchester
United hold the record for the most
participations in a row (10).
Twelve clubs take forty titles
Alongside the veterans of the
competition, five clubs are making their
Champions League debuts. These are
Udinese Calcio, a rising force in Italian
bonuses
The bonuses to participating clubs will be identical to the previous
two seasons, namely:
■
2.5 millions Swiss francs per club as a participation bonus;
■
500,000 Swiss francs per group match played, irrespective of the result;
■
500,000 Swiss francs for each group match victory;
■
250,000 Swiss francs for each group match draw;
■
2.5 million Swiss francs for qualification to the round of 16;
■
3 million Swiss francs for teams reaching the quarter-finals;
■
4 million Swiss francs for each of the four semi-finalists;
■
6 million Swiss francs for the losing finalist;
10 million Swiss francs for the winner of the competition.
In addition to the total amount paid to the clubs (including the part
based on the commercial value of the markets of the countries represented, the “Market Pool”), there will also be a revenue surplus (provisionally some 29 million Swiss francs) to be distributed in a manner yet
to be decided.
For the 2004/05 season, there was a revenue supplement of some
16 million Swiss francs which has yet to be distributed.
■
Calendar of the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League
14.09
27.09
18.10
02.11
22.11
07.12
13.09
28.09
19.10
01.11
23.11
06.12
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Rapid V.–Bayern München
Brugge–Juventus
Juventus–Rapid Vienna
Bayern München–Brugge
Bayern München–Juventus
Rapid Vienna–Brugge
Juventus–Bayern München
Brugge–Rapid Vienna
Bayern M.–Rapid Vienna
Juventus–Brugge
Rapid Vienna–Juventus
Brugge–Bayern München
Sparta Prague–AFC Ajax
Arsenal FC–FC Thun
FC Thun–Sparta Prague
AFC Ajax–Arsenal FC
AFC Ajax–FC Thun
Sparta Prague–Arsenal FC
FC Thun–AFC Ajax
Arsenal FC–Sparta Prague
AFC Ajax–Sparta Prague
FC Thun–Arsenal FC
Sparta Prague–FC Thun
Arsenal FC–AFC Ajax
Udinese–Panathinaikos
Werder Bremen–Barcelona
Barcelona–Udinese
Panathinaikos–Werder Bremen
Panathinaikos–Barcelona
Udinese-Werder Bremen
Barcelona–Panathinaikos
Werder Bremen–Udinese
Panathinaikos–Udinese
Barcelona–Werder Bremen
Udinese–Barcelona
Werder Bremen–Panathinaikos
Villarreal–Manchester Utd
SL Benfica–LOSC Lille
LOSC Lille–Villarreal
Manchester Utd–SL Benfica
Manchester Utd–LOSC Lille
Villarreal–SL Benfica
LOSC Lille–Manchester Utd
SL Benfica–Villarreal
Manchester Utd–Villarreal
LOSC Lille–SL Benfica
Villarreal–LOSC Lille
SL Benfica–Manchester Utd
Group E
Group F
Group G
Group H
AC Milan–Fenerbahce
PSV–Schalke 04
Schalke 04–AC Milan
Fenerbahce–PSV
Fenerbahce–Schalke 04
AC Milan–PSV Eindhoven
Schalke 04–Fenerbahce
PSV Eindhoven–AC Milan
Fenerbahce–AC Milan
Schalke 04–PSV
AC Milan–Schalke 04
PSV–Fenerbahce
Ol.Lyonnais–Real Madrid
Olympiacos–Rosenborg
Rosenborg–Ol.Lyonnais
Real Madrid–Olympiacos
Real Madrid–Rosenborg
Ol.Lyonnais–Olympiacos
Rosenborg–Real Madrid
Olympiacos–Ol.Lyonnais
Real Madrid–Ol.Lyonnais
Rosenborg–Olympiacos
Ol.Lyonnais–Rosenborg
Olympiacos–Real Madrid
Chelsea FC–Anderlecht
Real Betis–Liverpool FC
Liverpool FC–Chelsea FC
Anderlecht–Real Betis
Anderlecht–Liverpool FC
Chelsea FC–Real Betis
Liverpool FC–Anderlecht
Real Betis–Chelsea FC
Anderlecht–Chelsea FC
Liverpool FC–Real Betis
Chelsea FC–Liverpool FC
Real Betis–Anderlecht
Rangers FC–FC Porto
A. Bratislava–Internazionale
Internazionale–Rangers FC
FC Porto–A. Bratislava
FC Porto–Internazionale
Rangers FC–A. Bratislava
Internazionale–FC Porto
A. Bratislava–Rangers FC
FC Porto–Rangers FC
Internazionale–A. Bratislava
Rangers FC–Internazionale
A. Bratislava–FC Porto
07
Scotland’s captain Billy McNeill receives
the new trophy from the president of Portugal,
Americo Thomaz.
In March 1967, the Executive
Committee decided at a meeting in
Vienna to allow Real Madrid to keep
the original trophy, a silver cup offered by L’Equipe, after the team’s
sixth victory. The Executive Committee then made 10,000 Swiss francs
available for a new trophy to be
made. The Bernese jeweller, Jörg
Stadelmann, designed a new silver
cup, 74 cm high and weighing some
8 kg. It was presented for the first
time to the Celtic captain, Billy
McNeill, on 25 May 1967 in Lisbon,
after the Scottish team had beaten
Internazionale. This was also the
first time that a non-Mediterranean
team had won the trophy.
Apart from Liverpool, three
other clubs have been allowed to
keep the trophy as a result of the
regulation (AFC Ajax, Bayern Munich
and AC Milan).
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MONTEFORTE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
football in recent years and the
eighth Italian club to participate in
the Champions League; Real Betis
and Villarreal, bringing the total
of Spanish clubs that have taken part
in the competition to 11; Artmedia
Bratislava, Slovakian champions last
season and the second Slovak club to
participate in the Champions League
after FC Kosice in 1997-98; and finally
FC Thun, promoted to the Swiss elite
division in 2002, a team whose only
previous experience of European competition has been two outings in the
UEFA Intertoto Cup. Thun will be the
third Swiss team to compete in the
Champions League, after Grasshopper and Basel. The Swiss side eliminated one of the most regular participants, Dynamo Kyiv, nine times
in the competition, including the last
eight seasons in a row. These five
newcomers mean that 97 clubs have
Real Betis (Alberto Rivera, 18)
qualified at the expense
of AS Monaco, while Udinese
(Christian Obodo, in black)
eliminated this year’s
losing UEFA Cup finalists,
Sporting Portugal.
now participated in the Champions
League at least once. This year’s edition brings together all the previous
winners of the Champions League
apart from Olympique de Marseille
and Borussia Dortmund. Twelve of
the participating teams have previously won the champions’ trophy,
and indeed account for 40 of the
50 titles since the first final in 1956.
One of the earliest winners, Benfica,
are making a return to the Champions
League after an absence of six years.
Of UEFA’s 52 associations,
28 have been represented in the
Champions League, a figure which
has not changed since 2003. This
season is marked by the absence
of Russian representatives, who for
the first time since 1998 have failed
to qualify. No Ukrainian clubs will
be represented either, after two
clubs participated last season.
UEFA Cup
Thirty national associations
AT THE DRAW FOR THE FIRST ROUND
OF THE UEFA CUP, HELD IN MONACO ON
26 AUGUST, THE UEFA CHIEF EXECUTIVE,
LARS-CHRISTER OLSSON, EMPHASISED
THE FRESH MOMENTUM OF THE COMPETITION FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION
OF THE NEW FORMAT LAST SEASON.
For the 80 teams in contention in the first round, the objective is to reach the group stage, which
will ensure that they are involved
in European competition at least until
the end of the year.
Eleven previous winners
of UEFA competitions are among the
participants; heading the list are
CSKA Moscow, last season’s UEFA
Cup winners. Thirty national associations are represented this season.
The French Federation has
most representatives with six clubs,
due in part to the success of its
teams in the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Germany follows closely
behind, with five representatives,
one club also qualifying through the
UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Bulgaria, Greece, Norway,
the Netherlands, Portugal and Russia
each have four representatives.
UEFA-BOZZANI
EMPICS
On 17 May 2006, a new trophy –
although identical to the previous
trophies – will be hoisted high by
the captain of the winning team in
the UEFA Champions League final.
By achieving their fifth victory in the
champions’ competition in Istanbul,
Liverpool FC gained the right to
keep the trophy, in accordance with
the rule introduced in the 1968/69
season, which stated that any club
winning the competition five times,
or three times in a row, could keep
the trophy for good.
GUYOT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A brand-new
trophy
UEFA-BOZZANI
The last major
assignment for referee
René Temmink,
who has reached the
45 age limit.
UEFA
Super Cup
A hat-trick of victories
for Liverpool FC
THE STADE LOUIS II IN MONACO WAS PACKED FOR THE FIRST-EVER
P. GUYOT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Djibril Cissé,
man of
the match.
SUPER CUP MEETING BETWEEN LIVERPOOL FC, THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
TITLE-HOLDERS AND TWO-TIMES PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE
SUPER CUP (IN 1977 AND 2001), AND CSKA MOSCOW, THE UEFA CUP HOLDERS,
WHO WERE CONTESTING THE TIE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Liverpool, without the services
of playmaker Steven Gerrard, who
had just received the Most Valuable
Player award from UEFA for the previous
season, were tipped as favourites before the match but were
well aware how dangerous
their opponents could be on
the counter-attack.
However, this did not
prevent a repeat of a classic
scenario: the English team dominated
the opening phase of the match, creating a few decent chances, but it was
the Moscow team who struck first, only
seconds after their first scoring opportunity, through Daniel Carvalho, easily
one of their most inspired players in
this curtain-raiser to the European club
competition season.
The goal by the Russians made
little difference to the shape of the
match. Liverpool continued to dominate
but were dangerous only on rare occasions, the strikers failing to capitalise.
It took the arrival of Djibril
Cissé, some ten minutes before the end
of normal time, to turn the match
around. Latching onto a fortunate re-
bound, the Frenchman netted to
level the scores before using his sheer
physical presence, with extra time
already under way, to burst through
the Russian defence and score
his second. Cissé then delivered
the knockout blow by feeding
the perfect cross to Luis Garcia,
whose on-target header left
goalkeeper Akinfeev stranded
for the third time.
Since the Super Cup has been
played under the auspices of UEFA,
following an unofficial first edition in
1973, the trophy has been lifted
15 times by the European champions
and 15 times by their opponents,
namely the Cup Winners’ Cup holders
up to 1999 and the UEFA Cup winners
since then.
This was only the third time
in the history of the competition that
extra time was needed to decide the
outcome. On the last occasion, in
2000, Galatasaray brought extra time
to an early conclusion by scoring
a “golden goal” against Real Madrid.
Liverpool FC will now take
part in the first Club World Championship, to be staged by FIFA in Japan
from 11 to 18 December. Entering
the competition on 15 December,
Liverpool will play the winners of
the match between Sydney FC and
Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica).
Depending on the result of this
game, they will contest either the
final or the third-place match, both
scheduled for 18 December.
GETTY IMAGES
26 August 2005
Monaco – Stade Louis II – 17,042 spectators
Liverpool FC – PFC CSKA Moscow 3-1 (0-1, 1-1)
Goals: Carvalho (28), Cissé (82 and 103), Luis Garcia (119).
Referee: René Temmink (Netherlands)
09
EMPICS
EMPICS
Training
young players
is a long-term
investment.
AJ Auxerre
and
Guy
Roux
A passion for training
THE 18-YEAR-OLDS ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TRAINING SESSION. A MAN ON THE TOUCHLINE WATCHES WITH
PROFESSIONAL DETACHMENT BUT THE PASSION CAN BE HEARD IN HIS VOICE. GUY ROUX, NOW VICE-CHAIRMAN OF AJ AUXERRE
AT NEARLY 70 YEARS OF AGE, IS STILL IN FOOTBALL – BUT STAYING OUT OF SENIOR-TEAM BUSINESS.
on sport in general and none at all
on football. Nantes and Sochaux were
first off the mark in this respect but
Auxerre have enjoyed unrivalled success, having trained 17 senior French
internationals, including three world
champions and one European champion. Guy Roux is reluctant to make
comparisons but one thing is certain:
he is the heart and soul of the academy – and of the club. “In the past,
professional contracts were given to
the best amateurs. But since 1982,
we’ve taken care of both training
and schooling for the best youngsters, as the academy has a secondary school of its own.”
Fifteen coaches
Fifteen qualified coaches train
some 60 young people divided into
three age groups: 14, 16 and 18-yearolds. The philosophy of the school
has not changed over the years.
An exciting
new challenge for
Guy Roux.
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PHOTO NEWS
Above all, he has no wish to
be a backseat driver. «Jacques Santini
was chosen as my successor and
he has my support, just as he had
my support to become coach of the
French national team. He has my
fullest respect. I’ve been the coach
for so long that I need to make it
clear that the situation has changed.
I’m only working with the youngsters
now and that’s a job I really love.”
Founded by the Abbé
Deschamps, AJ Auxerre have always
made it their business to nurture
young players. The club did a lot of
youth training in the 1970s, even before it joined the top flight, but it only
set up a proper training academy in
1982. Georges Boulogne, who was
technical director of the French Football Federation (FFF) at the time,
had concluded that the clubs should
be self-sufficient, since the school
system placed very little importance
“Give youngsters a coach, a ball and
a decent pitch and you’ll make good
footballers of them … preferably a
grass pitch, though artificial turf is
a useful back-up, especially in winter: it’s better than a sea of mud.”
Guy Roux is the club’s top coach and
probably the strictest, if certain anecdotes are to be believed... “Youngsters create legends, which thrive
all the more on a few good stories.
I won’t let them go to discotheques,
but that’s normal, isn’t it? Ask
them how they feel about it. I think
they can see the benefits of this
kind of discipline. I suppose I’ve
been a kind of father figure, and
a bit strict with it. I won’t stand for
any nonsense.” Like the time he
stopped Basile Boli using his moped
and received 600 protest letters from
African fans … Guy Roux has become
more philosophical as times have
changed. Many coaches complain
about players having an attitude
problem nowadays, but the Auxerre
doyen shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t
think they’re worse than they used
to be. I go along with Jean-Jacques
Rousseau’s theory: that people
are born good but society makes
them bad. If you take care of youngsters, they don’t turn out bad.”
No protection
Another development, a revolution even, marked Guy Roux as
much as it did the rest of the football
world: the Bosman ruling in 1995.
The AJA academy gives its young protégés not only board and lodging,
PHOTO NEWS
Setting an example goes with the job.
training and schooling, but also
a wage, and parents often demand
money.
For a long time, in exchange
for this expensive training, the club
kept the player in its professional
squad for four or five years. All that has
collapsed now, and the club is losing
many of the talented young players
which it has educated at enormous
expense and effort, for no financial
gain. “The Bosman ruling was the beginning of the end for the rules that
provided protection. They’re falling
apart more and more because of the
imbalance of power between those
running the game and the players’
unions such as FIFPro. Legislation
in both the sports and political fields
undermines the work of the academies. If we’re going to lose our
players, what’s the point of training
them? Because of a stability clause,
we now have to extend young
players’ contracts every two years.
If players are really good, they’re
stolen from us. Even when the big
clubs have good academies, they still
hope to sign our most promising
youngsters, and these new rules don’t
bother them in the least because
they’ve got the resources to keep their
own best players.”
Many French players moved
at an early age to England or other
leagues where the financial rewards
were greater, but that trend is now on
the decline. “Our national team isn’t
as strong as it used to be and it plays
less attractive football. So French
players are less sought after and we
can just get on with the job,” comments Guy Roux, who never minces
his words...
UEFA has adopted measures
to ensure that professional club squads
include a minimum number of locally
trained players, i.e. trained by the club
itself or by other clubs belonging to the
same association. “UEFA is right and
it’s a good rule. Like FIFA, they want
to do something
useful. I agree
with their thinking
but they’re coming
up against political obstacles. The
European Union
has used football
as a showcase;
it owes its own
standing to it and
it should be grateful, but that’s not
the way it is. You
know, it was foot-
D. AQUILINA
EMPICS
Individual
exercises and
matches
are all part
of the learning
process.
ball that made the European concept a reality, long before the Treaty
of Rome. In 1955, the European Cup
brought together all the clubs of the
continent, despite the Iron Curtain.
And Red Star Belgrade and Real
Madrid played each other when
there weren’t even diplomatic relations between their two countries!”
AJ Auxerre have taken it all
on the chin, enduring all the upheaval
while somehow managing to look
after their young talent. “We’ve succeeded because of the way we are
with people, how we relate to the
parents, and because of the quality
of our training. Have I ever been
discouraged? No. First of all, it’s
my work and I’ve no right to be.
Secondly, it’s my passion and that’s
a lot bigger than all these rules
and regulations.”
Pascale Pierard
The work of a lifetime
MERLE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
This year, AJ Auxerre are celebrating their centenary. They
have done their arithmetic: Guy Roux has worked for them in various
capacities for 54 years – ever since he was 14 years old. At the end
of last season, he quit his job as coach and became vice-chairman
of the club. He has also embarked on a new (“less stressful”) occupation: at 5.15 pm every Saturday, he offers his views on the latest
developments in football on Canal+. But he will never criticise his
colleagues. “I was general secretary and chairman of the union for
23 years. I’m not going to part company with the coaches now!”
11
Led by Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge,
chairman of the
European Club
Forum, the club
representative
had no hesitation
in pulling on their
football boots.
The forum
is intended as
a platform
for dialogue.
European
Club
Forum
Resolution adopted and more dialogue called for
SET UP IN 2002, THE EUROPEAN CLUB FORUM, IN WHICH 102 CLUBS INVOLVED
IN THE UEFA COMPETITIONS PARTICIPATE, MET IN NYON FOR THE NINTH TIME ON 5 AND 6 SEPTEMBER.
More than a quarter of the
meeting was taken up with group discussions, not to mention the talks that
participants managed to fit in before
or after the official working sessions,
yet the club representatives were unanimous that they wanted more time to
discuss among themselves, for example by setting aside the morning ahead
of the opening of the forum in the
afternoon. At present, a large part of
the forum is given over to information
and presentations leaving less time for
dialogue. And the clubs – or at least
some of them – would even like to have
a say in decision-making process.
It has to be said that the topics
on the agenda are often complex, and
Memorandum
with FIFPro
On 26 August, in Monaco,
UEFA and FIFPro, the international
players’ organisation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding recognising
their respective roles and positions
within European professional football.
The agreement, which underlines the values shared by the two
organisations, creates the foundation
for discussions in the interests of European football as a whole.
the clubs therefore have a valid point
when they ask to be able to consider
the issues before they are presented in
plenary session, so as to be in a better
position to discuss them afterwards.
On this occasion, the agenda
included presentations on celebrations
to mark the 50th anniversary of the
European Cup, on the “Vision Europe”
strategy adopted by the UEFA Congress in April, as well as on cooperation between UEFA and the clubs,
for which a memorandum of understanding similar to those that already
exist with the professional leagues
and now with the players’ union,
FIFPro, is being proposed. Naturally,
this proposal still requires a lot of
thought and discussion, with intensive
dialogue between UEFA and the clubs,
as well as between the clubs themselves, of prime concern.
On another subject, the
forum participants adopted a resolution regarding the European Union’s
“Television without Frontiers” directive,
agreeing that the idea of allowing
short reports and introducing a news
access right was unnecessary and
even potentially dangerous, as it could
destroy the value of new media rights
currently exploited by the clubs themselves or by other rights-holders.
Other topics under discussion were the marketing of the UEFA
Champions League, for which revenue
for the 2006-2009 period is projected
to be even higher than it was when
the competition still included two
group stages, i.e. 32 matches more.
The concept for 2006-2009 also
involves plans for the 125 matches all
to be played with the official starball.
On a similar subject, the
centralised marketing of the UEFA Cup,
which comes into force in 2006/07
as from the quarter-finals, was discussed by the participants in groups,
giving them the opportunity to
express their views on the proposed
revenue distribution system, among
other aspects.
The planned changes to
UEFA’s club licensing system were
also explained. They will be put into
practice if the Executive Committee
approves the new version of the
club licensing manual at its meeting
in September.
Finally, information was given
on two cross-border competitions –
the Royal League (Scandinavia) and
the Setanta Cup (Ireland) – which were
authorised on a trial basis last season
and which now have to be analysed in
terms of impact and interest.
PHOTOS: UEFA
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12
uefadirect 10.05
Referee-coach
discussions with,
left to right,
Gérard Houllier,
Ken Ridden
and Terje Hauge.
UEFA
UEFA
The new
fitness tests
have proved
their worth.
Meetings and
other activities
Consistency
and mental preparation
HOW CAN REFEREES BE HELPED TO REMAIN DETACHED? HOW CAN THEY
UEFA
BE PROTECTED FROM EXTERNAL PRESSURE? AND HOW CAN THEY PREPARE MENTALLY
FOR MATCHES? THESE AND MANY MORE QUESTIONS WERE BROACHED AT
UEFA’S HEADQUARTERS IN NYON ON 30 AND 31 AUGUST, WHEN LEADING EUROPEAN
REFEREES AND ASSISTANT REFEREES GATHERED FOR THEIR ANNUAL SEMINAR.
To put a stop to the kind of the
incidents that marred the UEFA Champions League last season, the Executive
Committee recently decided to step
up measures to ensure respect for referees. As a result, a new code of ethics
encouraging responsible behaviour will
be issued shortly. In another major effort to offer referees better protection,
each member association will be called
upon by UEFA to sign a convention on
referee education and organisation.
“Football is a game of emotions and can therefore sometimes
give rise to enormous frustration.
It is the role of the referee to remain
calm even when the players, coaches
and supporters lose their cool,” said
UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer
Olsson in his opening address to the
third summer gathering for UEFA elite
and premier referees, which partly
overlapped with the fifth seminar for
assistant referees. He added: “It is
also UEFA’s duty to help you in this
respect and to protect you. Respect
for the referee and his decisions
is crucial to the future of football”.
Under the watchful eye of
fitness expert Werner Helsen, the assistant referees were put through their
paces on a physical level on the first
morning as they tried the new FIFA fitness test. Alternating 40-metre sprints
and endurance runs with deceleration
intervals and recovery breaks, the new
test, which is monitored electronically,
is more suited to the actual physical demands endured by the referee during
the match.
At the same time, Vlado Sajn, a
member of the UEFA Referees Committee, dealt out advice to the referees left
in the auditorium, notably on how to
ensure that their decisions were consistent, irrespective of the level of the
competition. Illustrating his presentation with video examples, he underlined the actions and various subtleties
that should be taken into account before any decision is taken. For example:
What was the player’s intention? The
ball or the opponent? And how forceful
was his intervention?
A carefully prepared mental
suitcase
It is undeniable that the task of
a top referee has become extremely
difficult, requiring concentration, reading of the game, anticipation, instant
decisions, effective communication, the
physical performance of a top-level athlete, resistance to stress, emotional
control and frequent travel, to list just
some of the demands, and it therefore
goes without saying that referees need
to undergo the right kind of mental
preparation for their job. As sports psychologist Mattia Piffaretti told them, a
An excellent start
to the new season
“At the beginning of a new
Champions League season, it’s
important to strengthen the
consistency and especially the
team spirit of the UEFA referees’
team. It’s also important to talk
about problems to avoid further
trouble and to share opinions
with other parties in football,
as we did this time with the
coaches. Although it was a large
group, this summer gathering
for elite and premier referees
and assistants has been useful
and helpful, and excellently
prepared – it has been an excellent way for all of us to start
the new season.”
Markus Merk
mental suitcase has to be packed
with care and taken to every match, a
suitcase containing the referee’s own
emotions and the necessary antidotes. He explained how referees
could identify their emotions and
control them, how to use self-control
to counter anger, calm to deal with
anxiety, and interest to relieve boredom; and he stressed the importance
of putting on a cheerful face, showing one’s love of the game, control13
Andy
Roxburgh
and
Valery
Gazzaev
share some
thoughts.
ling body language, displaying authority and staying calm. Aware that
referees could find training in this
matter useful, UEFA is proposing to
organise a course in mental preparation for top-level athletes.
Security
In cooperation with a specialised security institute, and at the
referees’ request, a protection plan
can now be put into action, representing another commitment on UEFA’s
part to defending the easy target that
referees have become.
Reading the game
With Olympique Lyonnais coach
Gérard Houllier, the referees discussed
the need for mutual understanding and
better communication. In this respect,
the referees think that a preparatory
meeting with the coaches the day
before the match at the stadium would
be a good idea. They also stressed the
influence of the coach on the behaviour
of his players, and suggested that the
team captains should be the only players
to communicate with the referee.
The second day of the seminar focused on the assistant referees.
Manuel Lopez issued instructions
and other recommendations for the
season ahead. Closing the seminar,
Ken Ridden, vice-chairman of the
Referees Committee, said that “Working
together to strengthen the status
of referees is essential to the future
of football today.”
Nyon’s ‘technical area’
On the first two days of September,
a squad of 16 top-class coaches
marked out their own technical
area at UEFA’s headquarters.
Some readers might ask why
on earth they made the trip to Nyon.
The immediate response of the technicians who had attended the six previous editions of the Elite Coaches’
Forum was that they rarely, if ever, get
the chance to sit down and exchange
ideas. Usually, their contacts are reduced to a pre-match handshake on
the touchline when minds are on other
things or, at best, a few minutes
together at the end of the game while
the visiting team’s bus already has its
engine running. That’s why they relish
the opportunity to spend some quality
time together.
This year’s line-up was certainly
not short of quality. The alphabetical
team-sheet read: Co Adriaanse, Rafael
Benítez, Fabio Capello, Sir Alex Ferguson, Valery Gazzaev, Gérard Houllier,
Javier Irureta, Paul Le Guen, Vanderlei
Luxemburgo, Felix Magath, Alberto
Malesani, Roberto Mancini, Alex
McLeish, José Mourinho, Manuel Pellegrini and Arsène Wenger, with the
Technical Directors of UEFA and FIFA,
Andy Roxburgh and Holger Osieck,
joining the most experienced campaigners at the top table.
UEFA
UEFA
The video
is a valuable
analysis tool.
The talk, of course, focused on
Football with a capital F. But the issues
debated ranged from the number of
substitutes on the bench to the behaviour of players and coaches, and from
advertising boards to the difficulties
of having to play behind closed doors.
There was also great emphasis on the
need to bring coaches and referees
even closer to the same wavelength.
By definition, the forum is not
a decision-making body but, as LarsChrister Olsson underlined when he
opened the gathering, the elite coaches
have a loud voice within the European
theatre. That’s why we can expect to
hear more about proposals to outlaw
moving-track advertising boards
which distract match officials, to cease
allowing extra-time away goals to count
double in knockout ties, or to arrange
the international calendar so that the
UEFA Champions League doesn’t follow
hard on the heels of national-team
double-headers. There are other voices
to be heard but, when the top coaches
talk football, their opinions are always
worth listening to…
More than 10,000 coaches
complete Open Fun
Football School courses
Open Fun Football Schools successfully organised 21 three-day seminars this summer involving a total
Exclusively for the referees, this
secure Internet network contains texts
such as the Laws of the Game, competition regulations, media
releases and documents issued by
the Referees Committee and related
panels. A documentation centre
for the time being, this extranet will
be developed by 2007 into a tool
for completing match reports on line
as well as for listing referee availability and appointments.
14
uefadirect 10.05
OFFS
Extranet for the
referees
Thousands of children took part in the Fun Football Schools.
OFFS
OFFS
Football and other exercises were part of programme of the Fun Football Schools.
of 2,100 grassroots leaders and
coaches from Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Georgia, FYR Macedonia, and
Serbia and Montenegro.
Those leaders and coaches
have since been busy running summer
football schools for almost 30,000
boys and girls between 7 and 11 years
of age in their respective home towns.
“It is fantastic to be part
of this programme,” say Anders Levinsen, who came up with the idea.
“We are currently experiencing huge
commitment to the development of
grassroots football, and the quality
of our workshops and seminars is
improving from year to year. I am
convinced that the strong UEFA focus
on the development of grassroots
football is having a major impact
in this respect.”
Since the Open Fun Football
Schools were introduced in Bosnia and
Herzegovina in 1998, more than
10,000 voluntary leaders and coaches
have participated in Open Fun Football
School seminars, and summer football
schools have been organised for
more than 100,000 boys and girls in
cooperation with the national football
association and local football clubs.
“The figures are impressive,
and we are certainly seeing the fruit
of our work. When we started our
operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
only 16 football clubs in the whole
country were organising football for
children. Today we know of about
398 football clubs and more than
100 private football schools that
organise football for children. So in
Bosnia and Herzegovina alone, we
have seen an increase from 16 to
500 clubs in just seven years, which
is fantastic. Of course, it is the local
leaders and coaches who are responsible for these developments, but
I am sure that our programme has
had an important impact, stimulating and supporting their important
work,” Anders Levinsen concludes.
The Open Fun Football Schools
is a humanitarian programme coordinated by Cross Cultures (a Danish NGO)
and the Norwegian FA in cooperation
with the football associations of the
above-mentioned countries. The aim
is to bring football to children in postconflict areas and to promote the game
by bringing football to children who
do not usually have the possibility to
play football.
The Open Fun Football Schools
programme is part of the UEFA charity
portfolio and is further supported by
the governments of Denmark, Finland,
Norway and Sweden.
6th FARE action week
The Football Against Racism in
Europe (FARE) network, with which
UEFA works in partnership, is
organising its sixth week of action
against racism in football in
Europe from 13 to 25 October.
This important campaign
against racism and discrimination is
aimed at football associations, clubs,
players, supporters, ethnic-minority and
migrant groups, schools and sports
media. Anti-racist activities organised
in conjunction with the UEFA Champions League matches on 18 and 19 October will be the focal point of this campaign, which this year places emphasis
on the integration of migrants and
ethnic minorities at all levels of football
(teams, stadiums, administration,
coaching). Last year, activities were
organised in 33 European countries.
■ In Poland, the Station Woodstock music festival, which took place
in Kostrzyn at the beginning of August,
also included a football competition
organised under the slogan of “Kick
racism out of football!”. Some 10,000
spectators watched the matches, in
which 40 teams took part, involving 300
players altogether. An anti-racism magazine, Stadium, was launched in conjunction with the tournament, and 100,000
people visited an information stand.
Report
from Brussels
The United Kingdom has assumed the rotating presidency of
the European Union, taking over
from Luxembourg. After a turbulent
summer, which saw both the Dutch
and French populations reject the
new EU Treaty, the British government will be trying to restore some
momentum to the European agenda.
Regarding the new treaty, EU
leaders have already agreed to put
the matter on hold, and use a “period
of reflection” to assess the full impact
of the negative votes in France and
the Netherlands. The prime ministers
will come together in the first half
of 2006 to find a way forward. In the
meantime, member states are free
to continue their ratification process
at their own rhythm. So far, 14 countries have approved the Treaty.
In the field of sport, the UK’s
Department of Culture, Media and
Sport has promised to take forward
the EU ‘rolling agenda’ in those areas
where member states can usefully
cooperate. It has organised an informal meeting of sports ministers,
which will take place on 19 and 20
September in Liverpool. The meeting
will focus on:
● doping;
● fighting discrimination in sport;
● the role of sport in the fight
against obesity;
● volunteering.
The British Minister for Sport,
Richard Caborn, has invited UEFA to
speak at the Liverpool meeting. He
would like UEFA to address the subject of combating discrimination in
and through sport. “I know that UEFA
takes this issue as seriously as the
UK Government,” declared the minister. “Your current campaign in cooperation with Football Against Racism in
Europe is just one example of UEFA’s
commitment to taking action.”
According to Mr Caborn, the
EU could also make a significant contribution to eliminating discrimination from sport and promoting it as
a force for bringing people together.
He believes UEFA “could help to secure
the ministers’ support for collective
action against discrimination, by
explaining what Europe’s most popular sport is doing to address the
problem, and why.”
15
UEFA’s official website at
uefa.com has had a new look
since mid-August.
The new homepage gives
more room to new technology,
notably video action. It is also easy
to find information on all of UEFA’s
competitions, with a direct link to
the official EURO 2008 site.
The UEFA website is available in nine languages: English,
French, German, Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Portuguese, Russian and
Spanish.
Record ticket sales
for UEFA Champions
League final
The Club Competitions Committee met in Monaco to prepare
the early-season draws.
It also received the financial results of last season and discovered that the UEFA Champions
League final between Liverpool
and AC Milan in Istanbul set a new
ticket-sale record. As a result, in
addition to CHF 10 million for the
winners, Liverpool, and CHF 6m
for AC Milan, the two finalists each
received CHF 2,431,287 from the
gate receipts.
Regarding the UEFA Cup
final in Lisbon, CSKA Moscow
received CHF 5m for their victory
over Sporting Clube de Portugal,
who received CHF 3.5m. Each finalist
also received CHF 1,172,877 from
the gate receipts.
The committee also received
a status report on the club licensing
system and a presentation by FIFA
experts on the quality concept for
artificial turf.
Ten years of the
UEFA Intertoto Cup –
French clubs
supreme
French clubs further strengthened
their dominance in
the UEFA Intertoto
Cup this year by
winning two of the
three places at stake in the first
round of the UEFA Cup.
Having joined the UEFA
Intertoto Cup in the second round,
RC Lens won five of their eight
matches, drawing the remaining
three. Olympique de Marseille, for
their part, started their campaign
in the third round and won four
of their six matches, the other two
being a draw and a defeat.
CHARLET/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
New-look
UEFA website
Lens celebrate opening the score against
Cluj of Romania.
Including these two successes,
French clubs have now benefited
from 12 UEFA Cup places altogether
via this route, and all different clubs
at that.
The third UEFA Cup place
at stake this year goes to SV Hamburg, who won seven of their eight
matches and drew the other, bringing Germany’s overall tally of UEFA
Cup qualifications from the UEFA
Intertoto Cup up to seven. Since the
UEFA Intertoto Cup was launched in
1995, 29 clubs from six associations have shared the 32 UEFA Cup
places that have been on offer.
The UEFA Intertoto Cup
may have a new format next year.
Discussions are under way with
the lotteries regarding their financial
involvement.
WITTERS
Futsal survey
SV Hamburg, one of this year’s three winners.
16
uefadirect 10.05
The meteoric rise of futsal, as
reflected by the growing number
of players and increasing popularity of the international competitions, has prompted the UEFA
Administration to pass responsibility for this sector to its professional football division.
In order to ensure appropriate continued development of this
discipline, a questionnaire has been
sent to all UEFA member associations
with a view to obtaining a complete
picture of the situation of futsal in
Europe, aware that its development
varies enormously from one association to another, as do the facilities
and financial resources available.
from member associations
ARMENIA
Leather Ball Tournament
On 27 August, UEFA’s Open Fun Football programme kicked off again in
Armenia, having now become a tradition, thanks to close and industrious
cooperation between the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) and UEFA in the
past three years. This year, the project
involves 15 football schools from Yerevan and the regions and over 3,000
children aged 8 to 12 from different
football clubs. Last year the number of
participants was under 2,000, and only
eight football schools took part. At
the FFA’s general meeting, which was
attended by UEFA vice-president Per
Ravn Omdal, the FFA president, Ruben
Hayrapetyan, declared that he would
do his best to increase the number of
participants, as the programme was a
great base for the development of youth
football. The project also involves more
than 200 coaches, leaders and other
trainers. All the participants have received the appropriate equipment and
kits free of charge.
At the same time as the youth
football development project in Yerevan,
the Leather Ball Tournament took place.
This is a competition in which teams
from the yards of the capital participate.
The main purpose of this tournament is
to spot children who have the potential
to become top footballers one day.
In other news, the FFA is
preparing for forthcoming important
competitions. The Under-19 team is
preparing for the qualifying matches in
Latvia, where, apart from meeting the
host nation, they will play Serbia and
Montenegro, and Ukraine. The team’s
coaches will be trying to repeat and
surpass the success achieved by the
Under-19 team in the European championship, where Armenia reached the
finals. The Under-17s are also in the
midst of serious preparations, as they
will face a tough challenge in Israel
at the end of October, when they meet
Azerbaijan, Israel and Russia.
In recent years, women’s football has also been developing. Recently,
the Armenian women’s team took part
in a tournament in Copenhagen, and
the women’s Under-19 team is preparing to take part in the first qualifying
round of their European Championship
in Israel on 26 September.
Arayik Manukyan
AUSTRIA
New home page
The president of the Austrian FA (ÖFB),
Friedrich Stickler, and national-team
captain Andreas Ivanschitz have unveiled the association’s new Internet
site, which was developed with the support of the UEFA HatTrick programme.
The fact that www.oefb.at
attracts around 30,000 hits each day is
a clear sign that an informative Internet
site is absolutely essential in this day
and age. This is reflected in the ÖFB’s
decision to relaunch its website. “An
Dr Stickler. Andreas Ivanschitz revealed
that he is a big Internet fan: “I enjoy
FFA
Friedrich Stickler and Andreas Ivanschitz
unveil the home page of the new Internet site.
The Austrian FA would like to
take this opportunity to thank the UEFA
HatTrick programme for supporting the
development of this new Internet site.
Ronald Gollatz
BELARUS
A landmark friendly match
up-to-date online presence is important for Austria’s largest sports
federation. I am delighted that the
site has proved such a success,” said
Children having fun playing football.
ÖFB
News
The new layout catches the eye
immediately, since the new home page
contains a number of innovative technical and structural features, which will be
gradually extended in the coming months.
With its 400+ pages, www.oefb.at
contains comprehensive information
about all the ÖFB national teams, the
ÖFB Stiegl Cup, women’s football and
the ÖFB itself, as well as some interesting information on youth development.
Particular attention was paid to the
clarity and simple navigation of the site.
surfing the Internet and I am sure to
be visiting www.oefb.at more often
in the future. The comprehensive
information it contains is clearly laid
out and well structured.”
The first-ever friendly match between
the Belarus Football Federation (BFF) and
the Lithuanian Football Federation has
taken place. At the initiative of the presidents of both federations, the match
was arranged for 6 August in Vilnius.
On the understanding that there would
be no professional footballers in the
line-ups, the teams were drawn from the
federations’ office staff.
The venue for this landmark
event was the mini-pitch at the Vetra stadium, which had recently been inaugurated on the occasion of a friendly match
between the national Under-21 sides of
the two associations. That occasion had
been full of the customary ingredients:
thorough pre-match preparation, the
exchange of commemorative gifts, the
taking of souvenir photos, and intense
involvement in the game itself.
During the accompanying official function, the leaders of both federations gave their strong backing to the
idea of holding such events between
national associations. It was agreed that
winning or losing in such games is of
little importance – the vital thing was to
17
BFF
An international match with a difference.
foster international partnership, cooperation and friendship.
Other noteworthy events organised by the BFF in August included the
official opening of a mini-pitch in the
city of Pinsk, the 2005 edition of the
UEFA Summer of Grassroots Programme
in the Gomel region, and an official visit
by BFF representatives to the SOS Children’s Village in Borovlyany to mark its
tenth anniversary. All these events are
positive steps towards a brighter future.
Alexander Leshchik
BOSNIA AND
HERZEGOVINA
Sarajevo’s young
players enjoy
success
The start of the
new football
season
has
already
been full
of surprises, an indication of excitement
to come as the year
progresses. The unexpected domestic
league leader after
four games were
FK Modrica, who won all four matches,
including the last one against NK Zeljeznicar at the Grbavica stadium in
Sarajevo. Modrica head coach Mitar
Lukic has been making full use of some
younger players who enjoyed previous
success as youth champions and cup
winners. The result is better overall
team performance, increased spectator
numbers and more candidates for the
Bosnia and Herzegovina Under-21 and
Under-17 teams.
As in previous seasons, there
has been a considerable turnover in
coaching appointments. In the space
of three match days, NK Celik had three
different coaches: Esher Hadziabdic,
Omer Kopic and then Moura Mango
Nelson, the first Brazilian to take charge
at the club. Before the beginning of the
championship, the NK Zrinjski coach
lost his job, following the club’s elimination by Luxembourg champions
F91 Dudelange in the UEFA Champions
League first qualifying round. He has
been replaced by Bosnia and Herzegovina
national-team coach Blaz Sliskovic. FK
Sloboda also had a change of coach after just two games, with Nihad
Mujezinovic coming in for Sakib
Malkocevic. Last season, a
total of 37 coaches were
appointed at the 16 premier
league clubs.
The theme of success
achieved by young players also
applied to national women’s
champions SFK 2000 Sarajevo, who finished runnersup in Group
A8 of the
UEFA Women’s
Cup first qualifying
round, with two wins over
PVFA Bratislava from Slovakia
and KRKA Novo Mesto from
Slovenia. First place went to
Russian club Lada Toliatti,
who had emphatic victories
in all their matches without conceding a goal.
Fuad Krvavac
F. KRVAVAC
SFK Sarajevo
had a tough match
against Polygraf
Bratislava
in the UEFA
Women’s Cup.
18
uefadirect 10.05
CROATIA
Good attendance
and high quality
This summer saw a significant increase
in footballing activities in Croatia compared with last year. In connection
with the UEFA grassroots programme,
the Open Fun Football School was
a great success, building on previous
experience. The Youth Games also
continued to thrive, football proving
the most popular individual sport,
being played by over half of the participants.
Constructed in cooperation
with UEFA, the prototype mini-pitch
in Zagreb was inaugurated by UEFA
vice-president Senes Erzik, accompanied by Minister Dragan Primorac and
Croatian Football Federation President
Vlatko Markoviç. This special event
was also marked by expressions of
great interest in further cooperation
between football schools and the
education system with respect to the
development of grassroots football.
Numerous clubs geared
their preparations for the beginning
of the new season to achieving the
best possible ranking with an eye to
the significant changes due in the
competition system from next season,
when the Croatian second division
will be unified. Three third divisions
will also be established and significant
changes will also occur at the lower
competition levels.
Split was the setting for the
great spectacle of a match between
the Croatian and Brazilian national
teams. The electric atmosphere on
the field of play was also transmitted
to the crowd. The good performance
of the Croatian team, underlined by
a satisfying result (1-1), gave further
grounds for optimism with regard
to the forthcoming qualifying matches
for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in
Germany.
The participation of our
clubs in UEFA competitions, on the
other hand, has been a source of disappointment. The departure of young
players to foreign clubs undermines
the standard of domestic football.
The Croatian Football Federation (CFF)
is currently preparing a thematic
meeting concerning work with youth
players and the involvement of experts. Answers are needed to the
question of how to maintain the
quality of club football under such
difficult conditions.
With the need for construction of a technical centre for the CFF
growing more urgent all the time,
huge effort is being invested
to enable this project to get off the
ground.
Croatian women’s champions
ZNK Maksimir from Zagreb hosted
a well-organised mini-tournament.
The club’s initiative reflects the CFF’s
continuous endeavours to develop
women’s football.
Ante Pavloviç
CZECH
REPUBLIK
Bid to host 2007 European
Under-21 Championship finals
The Executive Committee of the
Czech FA has decided that the association will apply to organise the European Under-21 Championship final
tournament in 2007.
“The philosophy of the
Czech FA is to bid for the largest
possible number of final tournaments in all categories in the Czech
Republic,” emphasised the General
Secretary of the association, Petr
Fousek. At the moment, the country
does not yet have suitable stadiums to
host a main European Championship
final round, even as part of a joint bid
with a neighbouring association,
though this is a long-term plan. So for
the time being, an Under-21 final
round is the highest competition the
country can organise. The European
Under-21 Championship is undergoing
major transformation and, in this
connection, championships will be
taking place in both 2006 and 2007.
As a result, the hosts of the 2007
final round will be selected in advance
and not be dependent on qualification. “We have decided on 2007
because we would have more time
FINLAND
Finnish Olympic Committee
supports women’s
national team
The Football Association of Finland
received good news from the National
Olympic Committee just before its
Women’s World Cup campaign kicked
off. Thanks to the good results achieved
by the Finnish women’s team in UEFA
WOMEN’S EURO 2005, the National
Olympic Committee decided to support
the qualification campaign for the
Women’s World Cup in China in 2007
with a contribution of EUR 50,000.
“This support from our
Olympic Committee is good news. It
is great to see that the efforts and
success of our women’s team have
been noticed. Reaching the semi-finals
in England this summer was a huge
boost for women’s football in Finland.
I am confident that the National
Olympic Committee’s support will
further improve our chances of qualifying for the Women’s World Cup,”
says the president of the Finnish FA,
Pekka Hämäläinen.
Furthermore, the National
Olympic Committee has decided to
back the coaching of the women’s and
girls’ national teams to the tune of EUR
12,000. Finland also reached the semifinal stage in the European Women’s
Under-19 Championship in Hungary this
summer. A major factor in the NOC’s
decision was that the Finnish women’s
team has the potential to qualify for
the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
Finland are competing in the
same World Cup qualifying group as
Belgium, Denmark, Poland and Spain.
Sami Terävä
GERMANY
Birgit Prinz supports children
in Afghanistan
The captain of our women’s national
team, Birgit Prinz, has been working to
improve the educational situation of
children in Afghanistan. As patron of
the “Learn and Play” project supported
by football’s world governing body
FIFA, the Afghanistan-Hilfe Paderborn
aid organisation and the National
Olympic Committee, she was in the
crisis zone from 14 to 18 August.
In conjunction with coaching expert
Holger Obermann, who is working
for the German FA and FIFA in Afghanistan, the German women’s international presented 36 Afghan women
with coaching licences. The women
had completed a three-week course
led by German development worker
Klaus Stärk in the context of the
UN International Year of Sport. World
DFB
CFF
Left to right: Dragan Primorac, Senes Erzik
and Vlatko Markovic.
to prepare and organise a goodquality tournament. We fully support
UEFA’s plans to upgrade the Under-21
Championship, because this competition must step out from the shadows.
It’s not a youth tournament anymore,
as all the players are already professionals in their clubs at home or
abroad,” added Fousek. “This is a
great chance for small associations
such as ours to host a UEFA tournament, and we will be able to offer
good stadiums, nice hotels and
suitable infrastructure, as well as
genuine Czech hospitality.”
The Czech FA bid to host the
Under-21 final round in 2004, but its
team did not make it into the final
round.
Vit Pavlusek
Birgit Prinz in Afghanistan.
and European champion Prinz also
presented awards to the winners of a
youth football tournament which will
be known from now on as the “Prinz
Cup” and be an annual event. “The
focus of the project is to provide
schooling and vocational training
for the children. Letting them play
is an important part of awakening
their enthusiasm for the project,”
said Prinz, describing the strategy.
Under the Taliban regime,
children and teenagers were strictly
forbidden to play any kind of games.
“The schools must be heaven on
earth for the children”, Prinz continued. “You only had to see the smiles
on the children’s faces to know
we’d done the right thing.”
Maximilian Geis
19
MALTA
Refereeing – towards
more efficiency
Bearing in mind its complexity as a
game and consequently the different
viewpoints on the application of its
laws, football tends to reveal contrasting
opinions in the way some of its rules
are interpreted. Standardisation in enforcing these laws is thus of paramount
importance.
scrutiny and the positive aspect that
emerged was that reports from the six
different groups tallied as to the interpretation factor.
This consistency was highlighted by Manuel Lopez Fernandez,
who expressed extreme satisfaction at
the outcome of the group work. The
constant participation and involvement
of the Maltese referees during the seminar came in for special mention by the
UEFA Referees Committee official, who
made use of excellent visuals throughout his lectures to illustrate his points.
The seminar was opened by
the president of the Malta FA, Joseph
Mifsud, and rounded up by the senior
vice-president, Carmel Bartolo.
Alex Vella
For a good number of years,
the KNVB has had a competition for
disabled players in which physicallyand learning-disabled players were able
to participate in their favourite sport,
irrespective of their age or disability. In
all, the number of disabled teams nationwide increased to 232 last season.
As the differences between
players became more conspicuous as
far as age and ability were concerned,
the need for a solution arose.
During the final days of the
FIFA World Youth Championship hosted
in the Netherlands in 2005, the city of
Utrecht and the KNVB jointly organised
a symposium for all those interested
in organising youth football for disabled players. Parents, coaches, team
leaders, club administrators and many
others were invited to take part in the
symposium. It was obvious from the
start that there was a niche for youth
football for disabled players.
With the help of the Johan
Cruyff Foundation and the efforts of
KNVB regional coaches
throughout the country, the KNVB has
managed to get approximately 40 clubs
interested in starting
up teams for disabled
youngsters. For that purpose, all the clubs involved have assigned a coordinator for these teams.
Some clubs even have as many as three
teams taking part in the competition.
The KNVB has set up six
leagues spread evenly across the country and crossing the official KNVB district borders just to make sure that life
is made easy for all involved, not in the
least for those on the sidelines. Gaining
experience with this new branch on
the football tree will help the KNVB to
further develop football for disabled
participants.
Rob de Leede
Manuel Lopez Fernandez (left) with
Tom Restall, head of the MFA’s refereeing
department, and two seminar participants.
This is where the experts come
in and pronounce their views from an
official platform. The referees committees of FIFA and UEFA are constantly
engaged in promulgating uniformity in
the interpretation of the Laws of the
Game and instructing match officials on
how to assimilate new concepts when
carrying out their duties.
Maltese referees are in the forefront in keeping abreast with modern
trends in decision-making on the field
of play. Referee seminars are established events on the Malta FA’s annual
calendar, and the usefulness of these
‘brushing up’ exercises can never be
underestimated.
In a recent seminar, Manuel
Lopez Fernandez, a member of the
UEFA Referees Committee, was the main
lecturer during a four-day workout
which had the top Maltese referees fully
involved in analysing the points of law,
their interpretation and new trends in
dealing with the ever-changing demands
which match officials face on the field
of play.
Besides several talks on the
laws, the event was marked by group
tasks followed by feedback. Several
points on a similar task came under
20
uefadirect 10.05
Youth competition
for disabled players
The Football Association of the Netherlands (KNVB) is pleased to be launching the first-ever youth competition for
disabled players on 1 October. Football
for the disabled is nothing new in
the Netherlands, but a well-structured
competition for players between the
ages of 6 and 18 is. The KNVB believes
that this competition for disabled
young players is also the first of its
kind in Europe.
NORTHERN
IRELAND
JAN DE KONING/KNVB
DOMENIC AQUILINA
NETHERLANDS
Young disabled players now have their
own competition.
A game against racism
The Northern Ireland Community Relations Council soccer team lost by four
goals to one in a recent friendly against
the IFA’s “Football For All”, World United
team on 10 August at the Billy Neil
Pitches on the Comber Road, Belfast.
Good relations were the real
winner of this game, which was played
to highlight the IFA’s anti-racism work
through its “Football For All” project,
which receives support from UEFA and
the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation.
Thomas Moket from the Ivory
Coast grabbed a stunning hat-trick for
World United and Ridvan Nehani from
Albania scored the fourth late on. IFA
Community Relations Officer Michael
Boyd scored a consolation penalty,
guesting alongside Northern Ireland
legend Ian Stewart for the Community
Relations Council team. Mal Donaghy,
Northern Ireland’s most-capped outfield
player, captained World United.
Hat-trick hero Thomas Moket
commented, “The IFA, UEFA and the
Northern Ireland Community Relations
Council have been fantastic in their
support of World United. Most of our
team is relatively new to Northern Ireland and through the sport of football
we are able to come together and make
new friends. The majority of the people
I know in Northern Ireland I have met
through the IFA’s World United team.”
Defender Toraj Amiravagi from
Iran, added, “Through World United
I have been able to contribute to the IFA’s
“Football For All” project, taking part in
anti-racism training, and I have also been
able to enjoy the sport of football. Our
team has players of over ten different
nationalities who come together through
the universal love of football. The IFA and
their Community Relations department
deserve great credit for this.”
Michael Boyd
ROMANIA
A new record
On 3 September, Dorinel Munteanu
became the most capped player in the
history of the Romanian national team.
Against the Czech Republic, in a 2006
World Cup qualifier, Munteanu played
his 126th match for the national team,
one more than the Romanian legend
Gheorghe Hagi. Ironically, both Munteanu’s 125th match (v Andorra on 17
August) and his 126th (v Czech Republic)
were played in Constanta (230 km
from Bucharest, on the Black Sea Coast),
at the Gheorghe Hagi stadium.
Munteanu, 37 (born on 25 June
1968), is a model of professionalism and
modesty. By the time he was 14, he was
already playing in the Romanian third
division, and at the age of 17 he was
playing in the second division. Knowing
how to live like a true sportsman has allowed Munteanu to
keep his playing career going
so long. He played his first
match for the national team
more than 14 years ago, on
23 May1991, in a friendly
match away to Norway. Since
then, he has played in the
World Cup finals in 1994
(when Romania reached the
quarter-finals) and 1998
(Romania reached the round
of the last 16), as well as in
EURO ‘96 and EURO 2000.
A member of the so-called
“golden generation”, Munteanu Romanian FA President Mircea Sandu (front, fourth from the left)
was part of the small group of with the parents of the Under-15s.
21
N. PROFIR
IFA
Triumphing over racism through football.
players who were automatically in the
starting line-up. The other members
of that select group were Dan Petrescu,
Gheorghe Popescu and Gheorghe Hagi.
Only Munteanu still plays football for
the national team.
And Munteanu holds yet another
record: he is the only active coach to
have ever played for the national team.
How come? Because, since this summer,
Munteanu (who, during his career in
Romania, has played for Inter Sibiu,
FC Dinamo Bucharest and FC Steaua
Bucharest, as well as for Cercle Brugge
in Belgium, and FC Köln and VfL Wolfsburg in Germany) has been head coach
and player with another Romanian firstdivision team, CFR Ecomax Cluj. In only
two months, he has changed everything
at the club, starting with the mentality
and coaching methods. And he has
already taken the team to the UEFA Intertoto Cup finals, where they were, unfortunately, beaten by RC Lens.
Our association also has another
reason to celebrate. From 10 September,
the Under-15 national team (players born
after 1 January1990) will embark on a
two-year training programme at the
national training centre in Mogosoaia
(20 km from Bucharest). The players will
live together, attend the same school
and take part not only in international
matches but also in one of the national
youth championships, but without the
right to become champions. In this way,
our football association is resurrecting
the “Luceafarul” football school which
practised the same system until the 1989
revolution. Now there are hopes that
this system of centralised training will
again produce good results for Romanian football at youth level, and ultimately
in the higher categories.
Paul Zaharia
General meeting
FS SCG
On 12 August, the Football Association
of Serbia and Montenegro held its third
general meeting in Belgrade. The assembly was also attended by UEFA Executive
Committee member Marios N. Lefkaritis,
who greeted the delegates on behalf
of UEFA, wishing them success in their
work and explaining the general direction
of UEFA activities in the period ahead.
The new president of the association, Tomislav
Karadzic, addresses the general meeting.
The assembly decided to extend
the terms of the members of the executive board and supervisory board of the
FA of Serbia and Montenegro by one year,
due to the fact that elections should now
fall between two World Cups, meaning
that the next elections will be after the
2006 World Cup in Germany. The legislative body also endorsed the decisions
taken by the executive board at its meeting on15 July regarding the departure of
the president of the association, Dragan
Stojkoviç (now chairman of FK Crvena
zvezda – Red Star), and the election of
Tomislav Karadziç as the new president
of the FA of Serbia and Montenegro for
a 12-month term. The business report
for the last periods was also adopted,
in which the successes of the youth
teams and the association’s coaching
school were highlighted in particular.
Tomislav Karadziç, the new president of the FA of Serbia and Montenegro,
was born in 1939 and has worked in the
sports and football sectors for many
years. He is also a successful businessman. He has been chairman of FK Spartak, chairman of the football association
of Vojvodina, vice-president of the Yugoslav Football Association and a member of the executive board of the FA of
Serbia and Montenegro. Addressing the
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uefadirect 10.05
general meeting, he emphasised that
the associations’ two immediate priorities
were, first, to ensure that the national
team qualified for the 2006 World Cup
finals, and, secondly, to improve the
quality of the first-division competition.
Nebojsa Ivkovic
SWEDEN
Futsal makes progress
Sweden has been a blank spot on the
world map of futsal. Since the early
1990s a five-a-side championship has
been played, although with a slightly
different set of rules than the international futsal laws.
Over the last couple of years
the championship has found it increasingly difficult to attract the top clubs.
Altered priorities and the risk of injuries
have been cited as reasons for the fading
interest. Moreover, the five-a-side game
in Sweden has generally been regarded
as a ‘between-seasons’ activity, not as
a sport in its own right.
However, in view of the growing
popularity of futsal, the FA is adapting
the national indoor game to the international futsal rules this season. The
first national futsal champions will be
crowned in February 2006. Invitations to
enter the championships have just been
sent out and extensive instruction on the
laws of the game is taking place during
the autumn. The competition will start
with qualifying groups in the districts,
followed by regional knockout groups
leading up to the finals in February.
This year, a policy of zero
tolerance of foul language on the pitch
has been introduced in the district of
Gothenburg. The aim is to create a more
friendly atmosphere on and off the
field of play and to stop threats and
violence in connection with football.
The Gothenburg district, after years
of such problems, feared that the
sport’s ability to foster youngsters was
threatened. Though some referees may
have initially followed the new instructions a bit too literally, the result looks
promising so far.
The Gothenburg way does not
imply a different set of rules but a more
strict application of Law 12 of the Laws
of the Game (action against “unsporting
behaviour” and use of “offensive or
insulting or abusive language and/or
gestures”).
Thomas Saleteg
UKRAINE
International tournament
in Kiev
The third Valery Lobanovsky international memorial tournament was
held in Kiev in mid-August, with the
participation of the national teams
of four countries – Ukraine, Israel,
Poland, and Serbia and Montenegro.
One clause of the agreement between
the national associations stipulated
that participants in this year’s tournament had to field their strongest
teams, and mid-August provided the
only ‘window’ in the FIFA and UEFA
international match calendars for
fulfilling such a condition. Apart from
providing board and lodging, the
Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU)
also has to ensure that the participants have everything they need for
training. This year’s tournament saw
the Polish side emerge victorious,
beating Israel in the final, while the
Ukrainian team finished in third place.
A new season in youth football started in September, with a total
of 384 teams participating in the various leagues. An Under-19 tournament
was also organised for youth players
who are graduates of the specialist
football academies but do not play at
the professional level.
FFU
SERBIA AND
MONTENEGRO
Remembering Valery Lobanovsky.
The annual audit of the FFU
in the context of UEFA’s club licensing
system was concluded successfully in
August. The results of the audit confirm that the FFU’s licensing activity
meets UEFA standards. The next stage
of licensing with regard to the participation of Ukrainian clubs in competitions in the 2006/07 season was due
to begin in September.
Valeriy Nykonenko
UEFA
???????????????
Communications
Birthdays – Calendar
Birthdays
Khennet Tallinger (Sweden) member of
the Match Delegates Panel, celebrates his
60th birthday on 4 October. Joseph Bertram
Worrall (England), member of the Referee
Observers Panel, follows suit on 20 October,
as does Michel Vautrot (France), member
of the Referees Committee, on 23 October.
Two members of the Referee Observers Panel
turn 50 in October: Sergey Zuev (Russia)
on 9 October, and Michel Piraux (Belgium)
on 15 October.
Also celebrating their birthday in October
are:
● Trevor Brooking (England, 2.10)
● Paolo Taveggia (Italy, 2.10)
● Levent Bicakci (Turkey, 2.10)
● Andrzej Wach (Poland, 2.10)
● David Richards (England, 3.10)
● Léon Schelings (Belgium, 3.10)
● Wilfried Heitmann (Germany, 4.10)
● Aaro Mõttus (Estonia, 4.10)
● Frank Coulston (Scotland, 5.10)
● Kaare Inge Lindboe (Norway, 6.10)
● José João Mendes Pratas (Portugal, 6.10)
● Armand Duka (Albania, 7.10)
● Zvonomir Boban (Croatia, 8.10)
● Pierre Delaunay (France, 9.10)
● Ellert B. Schram (Iceland, 10.10)
● René Van Rokeghem (France, 10.10)
● Peeter Küttis (Estonia, 10.10)
● Milovan Nikolic (Slovenia, 10.10)
● Leonard Nokes (Wales, 10.10)
● David Petriashvili (Georgia, 10.10)
● Joan Gaspart (Spain, 11.10)
● Frits Kessel (Netherlands, 12.10)
● Bo Karlsson (Sweden, 12.10)
● Eduardo Herrera Jimenez (Spain, 12.10)
● Willy Goovaerts (Belgium, 13.10)
● George Brian Smith (Scotland, 14.10)
● Dusan Krchnak (Slovakia, 14.10)
● Tom van der Hulst (Netherlands, 15.10)
● Jean-Marie Philips (Belgium, 17.10)
● Frans Hoek (Netherlands, 17.10)
● Jean-Marc Puissesseau (France, 18.10)
● René Hüssy (Switzerland, 19.10)
● Christian Müller (Germany, 19.10)
● Imre Bozóky (Hungary, 20.10)
● Ramiz Mirzayev (Azerbaijan, 20.10)
● Philip Pritchard (Wales, 22.10)
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●
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●
●
Arie Wolf (Israel, 22.10)
Mircea Sandu (Romania, 22.10)
Jan C. Huijbregts (Netherlands, 23.10)
Dragutin Karlo Poljak (Croatia, 23.10)
Antonin Herzog (Czech Republic, 24.10)
Pekka Hämäläinen (Finland, 25.10)
Stefan Kapralov (Bulgaria, 25.10)
Hugh Dallas (Scotland, 26.10)
Javier Lozano Cid (Spain, 28.10)
Rui Cacador (Portugal, 29.10)
José Luis Astiazaran Iriondo (Spain, 31.10)
Upcoming events
Communications
■ The Executive Committee has
approved the following age-category
designations:
■ A-Youth
Under-19
■ B-Youth
Under-17
■ C-Youth
Under-15
■ D-Youth
Under-13
■ E-Youth
Under-11
■ F-Youth
Under-9
■ Five bids are under examination
to host EURO 2012:
Croatia/Hungary, Greece, Italy,
Poland/Ukraine and Turkey.
The Executive Committee will shortlist
three candidates in November.
MEETINGS
3.10.2005, Nyon
Club Competitions Committee
Medical Committee
■ Member associations have until
21 October to enter the
5th UEFA Regions’ Cup in 2006/07.
4.10.2005, Nyon
Draw for the UEFA Cup group matches
13.10.2005, Nyon
Draw for the play-offs
in the 2004/06 European Under-21
Championship
17-19.10.2005, Oslo
Women’s Football Conference
18.10.2005, Oslo
Draws for the second qualifying round
of the 2005/06 Women’s Under-19
Championship and for the first qualifying
round of the 2006/07 Women’s
Under-19 Championship
19.10.2005, Oslo
Women’s Football Committee
21.10.2005, Nyon
National Teams Committee
28.10.2005, Nyon
Stadium and Security Committee
COMPETITIONS
18-19.10.2005
UEFA Champions League: group matches
(matchday 3)
20.10.2005
UEFA Cup: group matches (matchday 1)
Match agents
The Licensed UEFA Match Agents
Panel has granted licences
for organising matches and
tournaments to:
Kevin Beattie
10 Ogilby Court
Woodlesford
Leeds
LS26 8WG
England
Tel.: +44 113 393 4470
Fax: +44 113 393 4470 (phone first)
Alexandre Ribeiro
16, Rue du Massif Central
94800 Villejuif
France
Tel.: +33 6 07 42 19 71
Fax: +33 1 60 79 14 20
Romain Poirot (France) and Antonio
Rosselini (Italy) have, on the other hand,
given up their licences.
WE CARE ABOUT FOOTBALL
Editor André Vieli
Official publication of the
Produced by Atema Communication SA, CH-1196 Gland
Union des associations
européennes de football
Printed by Cavin SA, CH-1422 Grandson
Communications and Public Affairs Division
Editorial deadline: 12 September 2005
The views expressed in signed
articles are not necessarily the
official views of UEFA.
The reproduction of articles
or extracts of any information
published in uefadirect
is authorised, provided the
source is indicated.
UEFA
Route de Genève 46
CH-1260 Nyon
Suisse
Téléphone +41 22 994 44 44
Téléfax
+41 22 994 44 88
uefa.com
Union des associations
européennes de football

The Monaco awards UEFA Champions League starts again 06

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